I received this book for free from St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Eight Simple Rules for Dating a Dragon by Kerrelyn Sparks Also in this series: How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days, So I Married a Sorcerer, How to Love Your Elf, The Siren and the Deep Blue Sea , When A Princess Proposes , When a Dragon Falls
Series: The Embraced #3
Published by St Martins Pr on March 27th 2018
Genres: Fantasy Romance, Shape Shifting
Pages: 448
Format: eARC
ISBN: 125010825X
From the brilliant imagination of Kerrelyn Sparks comes a bold new fantasy romance series in which passion and magic collide. Behold the Embraced…
Gwennore has a talent. An Elf able to track down the cause of an illness and heal it, she’s a valuable asset to her people. But when the kidnapping of a young girl thrusts Gwennore into the very heart of the realm of the dragons, she discovers not only a place of power and magic, but also a haunted land, plagued by an ancient curse that all but ensures extinction to the royal family. But when she meets the smoldering General Silas Dravenko, they strike a bargain—save the country from its cursed illness, and he will return the kidnapped girl. She’s been raised never to trust a dragon, but never did making a deal with the devil feel so good…
Silas has no way of curing the family he’s loyally served for years. But when a beautiful elf, long considered the enemy of the dragons, comes bursting into his world, Silas is awakened to passion and desire in a way he’s never felt before. But can he trust a sworn enemy to save the very existence he holds dear? And can their love survive those that threaten to tear them apart?
Eight Simple Rules For Dating A Dragon is a story that I have been looking forward to for a YEAR and so to say that I was excited is putting it mildly. Now I won’t say that I loved this book as much as book two (which is still my favorite book this author has ever written) but there was so MUCH goodness in this book. And quite frankly, I was so mad that this book was only 400 pages…it honestly just wasn’t long enough for me, I mean seriously people…I breezed through this book in like 2 hours….I never read that quickly but I definitely read this one in one sitting and before I realized it the story was over and I didn’t want it to be.
So in book two So I Married A Sorcerer we get glimpses of the dragons and the realm that they live in, which they are super secretive anyway. But I was so intrigued by these “dragons” and most especially their general and future heir Silas Dravenko. This book starts out with our heroine who is Gwenmore. She is Elf and as such she is looked at by main with disdain and really dislike as a whole. But somehow she is next to find her “husband’ according to her group of friends and adopted sisters. But she doesn’t really believe in it. While playing with Luciana’s young daughter, who gets kidnapped by a real fire breathing dragon, Gwenmore does what she has to and jumps a ride with the dragon. And when he kicks her off and she almost is killed, she is saved by another dragon, one that she can understand and one she bonds with on an intimate level without realizing who he really is.
They are taken to the realm of the dragons and the people who live in this hidden kingdom. A kingdom that has a King and Queen that are mentally disturbed and being poisoned. The people are suffering from a curse that has lasted for hundreds of years. But Gwenmore is a healer, and she knows the sciences of medicines and believes that she can help including helping them evade a war with Luciana and her husband.
It soon becomes apparent that the castle is full of dangers especially with an enemy that is poisoning the royal family and it is up to Gwen to discover why and who and to help put a stop at it so the country can heal from this “curse” that is plaguing them. But they meet up with the “circle of the five” including the chameleon they fought in book two but never defeated. And the man he takes the image and station of is NOT someone you would ever expect. I was really intrigued with this side plot of danger and intrigue that this “circle” is playing.
We learn more about Gwen’s true heritage and that she is more than what she seems to be. And we see why she truly feels at home in the realm of the dragons and that her “dragon” is the man she is falling for, the future king of the realm of the Dragons. And boy the chemistry between these two is powerful. I just loved their sweet slow burning connecting that builds in this story. It honestly wasn’t quite what I expected, since its slow but intense at the same time. You just become hooked on their romance and seeing their story just bloom in its own way.
“My love for you will burn like an eternal flame deep in my chest”
She stifled a laugh. That sounds like a bad case of heartburn.
“I heard that.” A puff of smoke shot from his nostrils as he huffed. “You think it’s easy to confess how much I love you? You give it a try. “
We see how much this country has been suffering for so many years with fear in their hearts all the time, and I love that once Gwen enters into it, things just start to fall into place and we see some healing that begins. Especially when we learn about her parents and see her kind and gentle spirit just learn to blossom and grow stronger in this story. I felt such a kinship to the characters here and seeing both Silas and Gwen grow together and also start to rebuild a country that needs some true joy and healing. They make such a great team and work so in sync without even realizing that they are doing it.
Rule number eight: There is only one mate for a dragon, and he will love her forever.
I found this story to be a breathtaking installment into a world that is captivating and thrilling in the only way that Sparks can pen a tale….a TRUE JEWEL!!
About Kerrelyn Sparks
Kerrelyn Sparks is the New York Times bestselling author of a series that mimics its sexy heroes by refusing to die. Now up to book thirteen, the Love at Stake series spreads laughter worldwide in thirteen different languages. In spite of a tendency to nibble on necks or howl at the moon, Kerrelyn’s vampire and shapeshifter heroes are still wonderfully romantic.
Please visit www.kerrelynsparks.com where you can read excerpts, play vampire games, or join the forum. Kerrelyn loves hearing from readers, even those who howl at the moon. Letters may be sent to P.O. Box 5512, Katy, TX 77491-5512.
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